Covid cases in Wales jump by 55% in a week

Covid cases in Wales are continuing to rise, according to the latest report published by the Office for National Statistics.

In the week ending 24 June, the number of people testing positive for Covid-19 in Wales increased for the fourth week in a row.

The ONS estimates that 106,000 people, equating to 3.49% of the population or around 1 in 30 had Covid over the seven days of the latest study.

This reflects a 55% increase in the number of cases from the previous seven days.

In Wales, 575 patients with Covid-19 were in hospital on June 30, up 53% from the previous week.

Omicron variants

All four nations in the UK recorded a jump in the number of Covid cases in the latest study, with overall infections up by more than half a million in a week, with the rise likely to be driven by the latest Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5.

The virus remains most prevalent in Scotland, where 288,200 people were estimated to have had Covid-19 last week, or one in 18.

This is up week-on-week from 250,700, or one in 20, and is the highest estimate for Scotland since early April.

In England, 1.8 million people were likely to have had the virus last week, the equivalent of around one in 30.

This is up from 1.4 million, or one in 40, the previous week.

In Northern Ireland, infections have increased to an estimated 71,000 people, or one in 25, up from 59,900, or one in 30.

Hospital numbers are also continuing to increase, with early signs of a rise in intensive care admissions among older age groups.

A total of 2.3 million people in private households are estimated to have had the virus last week, up 32% from a week earlier, according to the ONS.

This is the highest estimate for total infections since late April, but is still some way below the record high of 4.9 million seen at the peak of the Omicron BA.2 wave at the end of March.

It is too soon to see any impact on infection numbers from recent large events such as the Glastonbury Festival but Friday’s figures are the latest evidence that the virus is circulating at increasing levels across the UK.

Dr Mary Ramsay, director of clinical programmes at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: “We continue to see an increase in Covid-19 data, with a rise in case rates and hospitalisations in those aged 65 years and over, and outbreaks in care homes.

“We can also now see a rise in ICU admissions in older age groups.

“Vaccination remains the best defence against severe disease and hospitalisation. Covid-19 has not gone away and we should all remember to keep up good hand and respiratory hygiene. It is also sensible to wear a face covering in crowded, enclosed spaces.”

Around one in six people aged 75 and over have not received a vaccine dose within the past six months, putting them more at risk of severe disease, the UKHSA added.